View Trailer:

Summer equals blockbuster and blockbuster equal superhero movie. You can bet your life savings that the line up of films hitting the cinemas during the months of June, July and August with include at least a hundred tales of a superhero! They will often depict how he received his powers, how he learns to live with them and finally how he will save mankind from another evil villain hell bent on global domination�that was until Hancock. Born out of the mind of screenwriter Vincent Ngo, and promising to be unlike any other superhero before him, it tells the tale of John Hancock and how his cock-eyed attempts to save the city of Los Angeles end up doing more harm then good.

Hancock (Smith) is the superhero that everyone loves to hate. Although he saves people from burning buildings and puts the criminals in jail, he often does so drunk, and costing the city tens of millions of dollars. He also has no problem hurling abuse at the general public or throwing children thousands of feet in the air. One day, he saves the life of Ray (Bateman), a hopeless but hopeful PR guy, who decides to help change his image, and give the city a hero they can love. It is while working with Ray that Hancock meets Mary (Theron), Ray's wife, and an uncontrollable attraction develops, leading to deeper revelations about Hancock and who he really is.

The first half of the film is a refreshing and amusing look at the life of a broke down superhero. The script is funny and Smith shines as the edgy and sarcastic Hancock, full of witty comebacks and a 'don't give a dam' attitude. Though you are meant to hate him, it is very hard to as he brings a charm and appeal to the character that makes him entertainingly human and likeable, despite his loner mentality and dejected out look on life. The effects on the film are not great, but good enough, and they take you on an enjoyable ride as Hancock flies aimlessly intoxicated through the air and stops locomotives in their tracks. When the twist comes in the middle, it is completely unexpected and leaves you gagging to find out what happens next, however it is after the twist that the unique appeal of Hancock starts to fade and it sadly begins to fall into the same clich�d notions of the superhero genre.

The script for the film was originally written in 1996 and called was Tonight, He Comes. It told the darker tale of a superhero who took whatever it was he wanted (including women), simply because he could and fell more into the thriller/stalker genre then superhero movie. It was later changed to become a more family friendly action film and to also fit into the climate of summer "money making" blockbuster. We are therefore left with your typical cut and shut job; a witty and sarcastic front, joined and indeed subverted by, a clich�d and sentimental back. While it is not a bad movie, it does leave you thinking how much better it could have been if they had left well alone.